Protection of river banks



Patented Aug. 30, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ose a. museum, or WASHINGTON, I IsTnIoT or conmrnm, ASSIGNOB To ERNEST r. IEGHLIN, or WASHINGTON, I IsTnIcT or COLUMBIA.

Io Drawlnt.

provide a relatively cheap, satisfactory pro tective mat therefor which may be formed in situ, if desired, and immediately thereafter applied to the intended use.

The invention may be embodied in practical form, as follows :-There is provided a metallic reinforcement consisting preferably of a foraminous metal sheet, such as expanded metal or wire screening, of the desired width and length. The metallic reinforcement is embedded in a flexible self-sustaining mat, composed of inert granular material and a binder which is caused to permeate the mass of inert material so as to provide acoherent mass which substantially encloses the metallic reinforcement. It is preferable for the inert body of the mat to use sand and revel, or broken stone and stone dust, and or the cohesive binder, a suitable bituminous mastic material such as oil asphalt. The binder and the inert bod are mixed in proper portions to provide a exible, plastic mass which when enclosed around the inside metallic reinforcement, forms a self-sustaining sheet or -mat that may be directly applied to the river bank or other site to be protected. Although substantially water tight, the mat is flexible so throughout its mass and when applied conforms itself to the contour of the river bank.

It will be found convenient and practical to provide the mixing apparatus and other equipmentjor the formation of the protec- 85 tive mat, on a barge or lighter, and to supply the mat immediately as formed to the site requiring protection. The manufacturing equipment should include ample platform space for spreading of the material and for t e conversion of It into the homo eneous sheets or mats. The mat is forme by an operation or combination of operations which include embedding the sheet metal reinforcement in the plastic mass hereinbefore described and applying enough pressure to the whole to form an elastic sheet of suiiicient density to retain its form and configuration. This may be accomplished, for example, by passin the reinforcement and the plastic 5 mass t rough suitably formed pressure rolls.

Application filed August 8,1829. Serial No. 884,491.

Immediately as the sheets or mats are formed, they may be a plied to the river bank. This is done pre erably by securing one end of the mat to the embankment at or about the water level and then continuously u feeding the mat over the side of the lighter transversely to the water flow, until a sufficient length has been sunk. The mat may be fed directl from the forming rolls and cut off after the required lengths have been fed. A convenient manner of sinking the mats is to move the lighter away from the place of attachment of the end of the mat to the embankment. If desired, instead of forming the mats as a continuous sheet, they may be made of individual sheets of the required dimensions.

When sunk, the mats, because of their pliant and flexible properties, readily conform to the contour of the river bank. This effect is assisted by the water pressure, which, acting on the yielding mass of the mat, causes it to contact closely and firmly with the river bank and thus to maintain the mat in protective position. If large areas of 7 embankment require" protection, the mats may be laid in overlap ing relationship transversely to the water ow, so as to provide a shingle formation covering the river bank. In laying the mats in shingle formation, they are arranged preferably so that the overlapping portions extend over the underlapping portions of adjacent mats in the direction of flow of the water. This arrangement prevents the water current from flowing between lapped portions of the mats and displacing the mats from their positions.

The invention disclosed and claimed in this application is a continuation in part of my prior application for Letters Patent of the United States for method of protecting river banks and the like, filed February 2, 1929, Serial No. 337 ,17 6.

What is claimed is:

1. A protective mat for river banks consisting of a metallic reinforcement embedded in a mass of inert filler material so permeated with a waterproof plastic binder of such coherence and viscosity as to form a permanently flexible homogeneous water-resistant self-sustaining uncovered sheet, the surface of which directly contacts with the river site and the mass of which conforms of itself to the contour thereof.

5 2. A protective mat for river banks consisting of a metallic reinforcement embed- I ded in a mass of inert filler material so permeated with an oil asphalt binder of such coherence and viscosity as to form a perma- 10 nently flexible homogeneous water-resistant self-sustaining uncovered sheet, the surface of which directly contacts with the river site and the mass of which conforms of itself to the contour thereof.

1 In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

OSCAR A, MECHLIN. 

